Volunteers help Nico Hernandez restore gym

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Nico Hernandez won his first pro boxing fight at the Kansas Star Arena last month, and it took some hurdles to get there. Nico is coached by his dad, and lately, they’ve been training out of a spare bedroom in their house. Last November, their boxing gym burned, leaving close to everything destroyed.

On Saturday, Hernandez’s team started picking up the pieces in an effort to restore what once was a busy place.

“We tried to go in to clean two weeks after the fire,” said Emiliano Hernandez, Nico’s manager. “But it wasn’t safe so, we had to pull out.”

Volunteers showed up with cleaning equipment in hand, ready to scrub those walls and get Nico’s gym back in order.

“You always want a different environment like this when you work out — there’s more room,” said Emiliano. “There are things you have to practice for and train for that fight. Obviously, it didn’t affect him. He did pretty good.”

Since the fire, Nico has been training at Alley Boxing Center and the YMCA. The gym will take some time to restore. but Nico’s team is hard at work and welcoming any volunteers that want to roll their sleeves up and help.